Goldie Hawn and Madonna were set to star in a film adaptation of the Broadway musical “Chicago” for Harvey Weinstein’s Miramax before that 2002 flick was made.
Speaking to Variety for their pre-Oscars issue, Hawn slammed disgraced director Weinstein and recalled standing up to the “bully.”
Hawn was originally set to star as Velma Kelly alongside Madonna’s Roxie Hart.
“He’s finally living his karma,” Hawn insisted of Weinstein, who is behind bars after being accused of assault and abuse by multiple women.
She shared, “Harvey basically undermined me and Madonna,” while discussing how they were developing “Chicago” in the late ’80s.
Hawn explained how mid-development, Weinstein commissioned a new script in which Velma was 23 years old. This meant the character would be two decades younger than Hawn was at the time.
The actress told the publication, “I said, ‘Don’t f**k with me. Because I know just what you’re doing. We made a deal.’”
The Oscar-winning 2002 movie was eventually released starring the likes of Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Dominic West, Taye Diggs, and more.
Hawn recalled how Weinstein did eventually end up paying her what he said he would for the role.
She admitted, “You stand up to a bully, and sometimes you win. I said to him afterwards, ‘You know what the best part of you paying me is? Not the money. You restored my faith in dignity and ethics.’ Little did I know.”
Hawn added of Madonna, “I really don’t know how she felt about it. You know, she just went with the tide.”
Weinstein told Variety in a statement sent from prison, “Acting roles were always chosen based on what was best for the project, artistically and financially.
“We felt we did the best we could on ‘Chicago’ and I’m proud of it, and I am so elated that Goldie’s experience was a positive one, and that she has the fortitude to say that in this environment. I would simply say, ‘thank you.’”
